Russia: US Meddling, Calls for Assad to Step Down Are Prolonging the Conflict

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday accused the US and its allies of prolonging the Syrian conflict by supporting the rebel militias and calling for the Assad regime’s unequivocal surrender.

The United States and its allies in several European and Arab governments as well as Turkey are cooperating in their support for the rebel militias, which are increasingly linked with terrorist groups, and have continuously called for President Bashar al-Assad to step down.

“We propose things that would allow for an immediate ceasefire, but the other side says, ‘No, either the regime capitulates or we will continue to back…the opposition’s armed fight’, justifying terrorist acts,” Lavrov said.

“As long as such support continues, what kind of humanitarian action can we talk about? – including the initiatives of those who will not allow this fire to die down, but instead are fanning it,” he added.

Russia are no angels in this situation either – they still back the Assad regime, although announced they would halt new weapons sales to Syria until the conflict calmed.

But the Russians are not the first to point out that the interventionist policies in Syria are worsening the conflict. UN rights chief Navi Pillay last month condemned the continued flow of weapons from foreign powers to both sides in the Syrian conflict. “The ongoing provision of arms to the Syrian government and to its opponents feeds additional violence,” she said. “Any further militarization of the conflict must be avoided at all costs.”

A recent study out of Brandeis University concluded “the distillation of historical experience with civil war and insurgency, along with a sober reckoning of conditions on the ground in Syria, make clear” that arming the rebels is “likely to amplify the harm that it seeks to eliminate by prolonging a hurting stalemate.”

5 thoughts on “Russia: US Meddling, Calls for Assad to Step Down Are Prolonging the Conflict”

Russia are no angels in this situation either …I don't see why not. Syria's been on the hit-list for decades, and now a decaying US (& other(s)) begin to cash in on it's terrorist assets built up in previous Middle East engagements –aligning with Zawahari or some facsimile thereof. Russia's provided surface to air missiles that should deter one favorite US schtick (the no-fly zone), … Putin recognizes Russia's interests in the situation, and I'd say those are realistically more in line with the interests of Syrians and Americans than is the USrael/Neocon/Al Qaeda plan.

That's because you don't know this site's history of backdoor propaganda. In Syria, except for Justin himself, most other original articles have quietly promoted the Empire's anti-Syrian propaganda offensive in the guise of "even-handed articles". This reference is a fairly typical one. Antiwar also regularly reposts articles which are openly anti-Syrian propaganda, from American and British newspapers.

When the US government takes money from its citizens and gives it to dictatorial rulers abroad, I view that as immoral. I write often about this.

But it's also wrong when Russia does it. I'm not interested in pretending that Washington and her puppets are the only bad guys in this world. Just because Russia's backing of Syria has (thankfully) prevented a US-led invasion, doesn't mean the Russian government is filled with well-meaning angels.

'Reckon they got any lobbies writing their cue cards? Legislation? That's the situation here, and that'd be part of the level of detail characterization of Russia's intentions would require as well. I wish I could name the Horton-interviewee who captured this so well: peaceniks get blinders when they try to impose standards of altruism. E.g., "it's about oil" never captured it, and will not necessarily elicit disapproval, let alone a sense that it's contrary to 'our' interests. If the man you're dealing with is the man you're dealing with, his interests, selfish or not, most likely can be accommodated because he'll understand give and take; you may have illustrated that in Russia's case already. But witness the rampage of the puppets across the Middle East, their relentless flights-forward, the Tyranny of Do-Gooders; Bolsheviks might compare, but how Russia? Any of Descartes' Evil Genies over there?